First Date
by AmazinglyEarthBound
Summary: Terrible title is terrible. After an intense Fossil Battle with a little wager, Dino asks Pauleen on a date.


**[A/N] So, I'm writing a DinoxPauleen story, because that is my favourite pairing in the Fossil Fighters series. Also for another reason, I looked the other day and found out that there are literally NO OTHER STORIES of this pairing.**

**WAT.**

**I mean, there's usually at least a few, even for ships that people don't like much. So I'm here to remedy that. Also, Dino's team in this story is modelled after my own. I started with Aeros, don't judge me! So here we go.**

**Oh, and sucky title is sucky, so PM me or review with any better ideas.**

_So, without further ado..._

First Date

Where to go, where to go... there were so many choices! Now that the Caliosteo Cup was finished, and Zongazonga had been defeated, Dino just couldn't decide where he should go...

_A dig site, maybe? No, I've got quite a few vivosaurs already. Ribular Town? I could visit Todd... No, I saw him yesterday. Maybe there's something on Cranial Isle..._

And that's what he decided.

He boarded the helicopter to head to Cranial City, making sure to steer clear of the museum... Professor Scatterly always asked him to recount his battle with Zongazonga, and always forgot to take notes, and he didn't want to do that again. Then he realized that there was a place he hadn't visited before. Dino remembered that weird building next to the Fossil Guild, where no one ever seemed to go.

Hm. Worth a visit.

The first thing he noticed when he walked in was that there was a woman at a counter. With a rabbit mask. Instantly confused, Dino shook his head, and as he was shaking, a large nest of pink and yellow hair rushed him.

He realized a few seconds later that this was actually his friend Pauleen.

"Dino, where have you been? I haven't seen you since you won the Cup!"

Dino shook his head, and said "Hi Pauleen. I guess it has been a while, but were you doing hiding out here?"

"Ah," said Pauleen. "Actually, I diga-don't know. But I'm gonna challenge you to a Fossil Battle, and I won't lose this time!"

"You're on!" accepted Dino. And they ran to Mt. Krakanak. A volcano seemed fitting for an epic battle out here.

"Wait!" cried Pauleen, just as Dino was about to throw his Dino Medals. "We should put a little wager on this fight, digadig."

"Sure," agreed Dino. He fished some money out of his pocket. "How much?"

"No, not money," said Pauleen. "Something... different."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Hmmm..." Pauleen hmmed. "If I win, which I will, you have to diga-dig me up a Miraculous Fossil Rock!"

"Fine," said Dino. "And if I win... Aha! I know!" He blushed a bit at what he was about to say. "If I win, you have to... to go out on a date with me!"

Pauleen was taken aback by this. "A... date?"

"Yeah!" Dino replied. "Just… well, a date. Like a romantic couple would."

"I don't know if that's a good idea…"

"C'mon, Pauleen! I know you're worried about our friendship, but nothing bad'll happen! Just trust me on this."

"I just don't-"

"I'll pay."

"YOU'RE ON!"

They threw out their vivosaurs and got ready to fight. Pauleen used a U-Raptor, Saichan, and Omias; Dino threw out Teffla, Tryma, and Mapo King.

Needless to say, the battle didn't last very long. Dino ripped Pauleen's team to shreds, mostly with Teffla and Mapo King, and with a little help from Tryma, who, despite the type disadvantage, kept her vivosaurs enraged, unable to hit anything.

Pauleen didn't seem unhappy with the result however. Although whether it was because of a battle well fought, or the prospect of going on a date with him, Dino couldn't tell.

"I guess we're going by your terms, then, Dino," she said.

"Yup. When should we do it?"

"How about... this Saturday?"

"At six."

"On a boat, digadig."

"Great!" Dino cried. "I can't wait."

{asterisks}

Word got around fast that the Caliosteo Cup champion was going out with the girl that he fought in the semifinals, and by the time Saturday rolled around, it was almost all anyone could talk about. Even the BB Brigade Commanders met up on Bonechip Island to talk about what they heard.

But no one else was as excited as the couple themselves.

Dino waited anxiously at the harbour at Ribular Town. Why there was a harbour when everyone used the helicopters to get around, Dino didn't know, but decided that it was quite convenient after all, for an occasion such as this.

He wore a tuxedo, much different from his usual orange jumpsuit, with a bow tie. (_Bow ties are cool!_) Dino couldn't get his hair to go the way he wanted, so it stuck up in his usual spiky blue afro. He couldn't stand the wait for Pauleen to get there, he wanted to get this date started.

"How do I look?"

Dino turned around, and what he saw made his jaw drop.

Pauleen was wearing a beautiful rose-red dress, from around her shoulders down to her shins, and Dino thought she looked stunning. To complete the look, she also wore a rose in her hair... which looked different, too; she had let her hair down, which felt odd looking at after seeing it for so long in those massive pigtails of hers.

Apparently, Dino's reaction to her outfit had embarrassed Pauleen, and she started blushing.

"Do... do I not look good, digadig?"

"Are you kidding, Pauleen? You are the most amazing site I have ever seen in my life, and that includes when my Aeros super evolved!"

She smiled at that, in relief it seemed, and they boarded the boat, arm-in-arm.

Dino, with his Cup Champion fame, had managed to book a completely isolated boat for the date (except for them and the crew, of course), and the couple sat down at their table. The boat was lit only by candles; all the electric lights were below deck. Dino had really outdone himself with this one.

"So!" said Pauleen.

"So... what?" asked Dino.

"I don't know! You arranged this diga-date, Dino. What do you propose we do?"

"Talk, I guess," Dino ventured. You've gotta cut me some slack, Pauleen. This is my..." He mumbled the rest, and Pauleen couldn't hear him.

"Sorry? What was that, Dino? Your..."

"This is my first date."

"Huh," Pauleen said. "Well, you certainly know how to entertain a la- Wait, your FIRST DIGA-DATE?"

"You don't have to shout it so loud!" Dino said, embarrassed.

"Sorry, but I refuse to believe this is your first date ever! What with you winning the cup and all, the girls on the island must be throwing themselves at you, digadig!"

"You're right about that! That's just it! That's why it's my first date. The girls are throwing themselves at me, to use your words, but they only like Dino the Caliosteo Cup champion. I don't want someone like that. You're the girl I like. You don't care about the cup, you like Dino the person. That's... part of why I asked you out here. I wanted to see how it would go."

She didn't notice until Dino was done talking, but he was slowly moving his chair closer to her. She didn't realize until she looked at him and their noses were practically touching.

{asterisks}

Dino and Pauleen didn't know it, but there were a couple of stowaways on the boat.

"Remind me exactly why we're here, Todd," Rupert grumbled.

"Geez!" Todd sighed, exasperated. "For the bazillionth time, we're here to spy on Dino and Pauleen! Why do you keep asking?"

"Because I still don't get it. We shouldn't be here! If Dino and Pauleen are on a date, that is their business, NOT ours!"

"Well, yes..." Todd whispered sheepishly. "But they're our friends."

"Another addition to the list of reasons that we SHOULDN'T BE HERE!"

"Rupert. Tell me something. You have for sure heard the rumours about this. Aren't you the least bit interested? Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that you have not been AT ALL CURIOUS about how this date goes?"

"Well..."

"Well, I know I am, pards!"

A new voice nearly scared Todd out of his skin.

"YI-" was all he got out, because Rupert clapped a hand over his mouth before he alerted Dino and Pauleen. He carefully looked over at them, but they didn't seem to have heard anything unusual.

"Joe! What the heck are you doing here?" Todd whispered.

"Why do you think? Same as you two, I was tickled when I heard these two were getting together, and I stowawayed on the boat to see how it would go!"

"That is _our_ job! We came here to see what would happen on this date!"

It was about to go into a full blown fistfight before Rupert stopped them.

"Sshh!" he said. "If you two keep carrying on like this, we won't hear- I mean, we won't be able to eaves- I mean-"

"Alright, Rupert!" said Todd. "We get it. We'll shut up."

"Good."

{asterisks}

Back at their table, Pauleen and Dino had gotten back to talking. It was generally the same kind of thing repeated; Pauleen would bring up a random subject (if Joe would start another cup, for example), Dino would figure out some way to compliment her (how good she did in this one), Pauleen would blush, change the subject, and the cycle began anew.

It went on like this until the end of the boat ride.

The two were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't notice the boat was docking until they saw Ribular Island's Fighter Station. Dino took Pauleen's hand and led her off of the boat.

They had departed from it and as the boat was pulling away, Pauleen said, "You know… I was kind of worried about this, but I had a lot of fun, digadig."

Dino smiled at her. "Me, too."

They were walking away from each other when Dino called, "Pauleen?"

"Yes?"

He walked back over to her, took her hands in his own, looked Pauleen square in the eyes, and kissed her.

As kisses go, it was nothing special. Just a small, romantic kiss as someone would usually give at the end of the date. But for the young couple on that night it was magical. They melted into the kiss before pulling away. Both were blushing. Pauleen was also biting her lip.

"Good… night, Dino," Pauleen said as she started to smile.

Dino smiled back.

"Good night, Pauleen."

—-

**I do believe that that was one of my better stories that I've written. Is it weird that I've written so many romances, and yet I've never actually been on a real date? I don't know. I like them. I think they're good. They're fun to write. That's all that matters.**

**Oh, and someone who just wanted the humour aspect might be wondering what happened to Todd, Rupert, and Joe. The truth is, I was originally going to add in another little bit about them where they all left their Dino Medals behind at had to stay on the boat all night… BUUUUUUT I felt it would take away from the specialness of the above scene so I chickened out.**

**Thanks for reading! R&R!**


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